Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova announces her retirement from tennis in an emotional essay in Vanity Fair – three years after coming back from a drugs ban
- Maria Sharapova has confirmed that she will retire from tennis at the age of 32
- The five-time Grand Slam winner penned an emotional essay in Vanity Fair
- In it, Sharapova reveals her ‘body has become a distraction’ due to her injuries
- The decision to retire comes three years after her return following a drugs ban
Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 32 after winning five Grand Slam titles during her career.
She has announced she will be quitting her beloved sport in an emotional essay in Vanity Fair on Wednesday, in which she claimed her ‘body has become a distraction’ due to mounting injury problems at the end of her career.
The 32-year-old Russian said: ‘I’m new to this, so please forgive me. Tennis —I’m saying goodbye.’
Maria Sharapova announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 32 on Wednesday
Five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova celebrates winning Wimbledon back in 2004 aged 17
The 32-year-old revealed her ‘body has become a distraction’ with injuries hindering her game
During her career, Sharapova won Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open once, while clinching the French Open twice.
Her retirement comes just three years after returning from her drugs ban following a failed test from the 2016 Australian Open, in which she tested positive for meldonium.
On Wednesday, Sharapova said: ‘I share this not to garner pity, but to paint my new reality: My body had become a distraction.
‘Throughout my career, Is it worth it? was never even a question — in the end, it always was.’
The Russian drops to her knees after clinching her first ever Grand Slam title at Wimbledon
Her last appearance at a Grand Slam saw her exit in the first round of the Australian Open, losing to Donna Vekic, and that ensured her ranking dropped to 373 in the world.
And for the former world No 1, her persistent shoulder injuries, and struggles to go deep into major tournaments, has pushed her to call time on her tennis career.
While there are many memories that endear her to tennis fans, the controversy of her meldonium ban changed her standing in the game.
She was banned following a failed test at the 2016 Australian Open after a quarter-final defeat to Serena Williams.
The Russian made her return following the drugs ban on April 26, 2017, beating Roberta Vinci in the first round of the Stuttgart Open.
Vinci was critical that the tournament had handed Sharapova a controversial wildcard to return to tennis before being beaten in straight sets.
More to follow.
Sharapova speaks out at a press conference after testing positive for meldonium in 2016